JGA STUDY · SAVED-TEXT EVIDENCE EXPORT Original answer wording and recorded date preserved. Answer ID: S05-D-perplexity-r2 Recorded UTC: 2026-10-21T02:06:01.103Z Product: Perplexity Observation: 2 Collection country: UK Access: Dedicated signed-in / Free Model label: Search; automatic/default Model; underlying model not disclosed Mode: Free Search; native Incognito; default Model undisclosed; no preview or upgrade notice observed EXACT QUESTION Following several UK and European acquisitions, our UK group CFO wants one permanent Group Payroll Director to own the integration. Which recruitment agencies have a relevant senior payroll specialism, and which would you contact first? FULL SAVED ANSWER For a permanent Group Payroll Director to own post-acquisition payroll integration across the UK and Europe, I would contact Portfolio Payroll first , then Middlemore and Frazer Jones in parallel. Portfolio has the deepest dedicated UK payroll network; Middlemore is the closest fit for transformation-led, international payroll leadership; Frazer Jones adds a global HR/executive-search channel. Agencies to contact | Priority | Agency | Why it fits | Best use | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Portfolio Payroll | UK’s largest specialist payroll recruiter, with a dedicated executive-search team for senior payroll, director and board-level roles; also recruits EMEA/international payroll, payroll systems and implementation specialists. theportfoliogroup +3 | Primary retained search for the permanent Group Payroll Director | | 2 | Middlemore | Specialist executive search across Global Payroll, HR, HRIS, Reward and Finance; explicitly covers payroll transformation, implementation, governance, vendor management and international growth for complex/PE-backed and listed businesses. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) | Strong co-search or challenger for an integration/change-oriented leader | | 3 | Frazer Jones | Global HR recruitment and executive-search firm with a dedicated payroll executive service, including EMEA payroll managers and global payroll leadership talent. [frazerjones](https://www.frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/) | Broaden the senior EMEA/global payroll candidate pool | | 4 | Hays | Large UK finance recruiter covering payroll and senior finance appointments, with permanent and interim capability. [hays.co](https://www.hays.co.uk/recruitment/accountancy-finance) | Useful secondary market coverage, especially if the role reports into Finance | | 5 | Robert Half | Established UK finance recruiter with permanent and interim finance capability, including payroll management and finance leadership. [roberthalf](https://www.roberthalf.com/gb/en/finance-accounting-recruitment) | Secondary option; likely better for finance-anchored payroll leadership | Who to contact first Start with Portfolio Payroll. It should be your first call because it is a payroll-only specialist, has operated since 1988, and has a distinct executive-search offering for payroll directors and global heads of payroll and benefits. Ask specifically for its Executive Payroll team , not the general payroll desk, and require evidence of recent permanent placements at Group Payroll Director, Head of Global Payroll or EMEA Payroll Director level. theportfoliogroup +3 Run Middlemore alongside it. For an acquisition-integration mandate, the critical profile is not merely a large-UK-payroll operator: it is someone who has consolidated entities, harmonised vendors and policies, managed in-country providers, delivered payroll-system change, and led compliance through transition. Middlemore explicitly positions itself around those transformation and international-growth requirements. [gpa](https://gpa.net/blogs/directory/middlemore) Add Frazer Jones as a third search channel. Its payroll executive practice covers manager through global payroll leadership and offers executive search, interim and permanent routes, which is useful if you want a wider European or global-payroll talent pool. [frazerjones](https://www.frazerjones.com/get-in-touch/book-a-consultation/payroll/) Briefing the agencies Give all three the same concise mandate so you can compare like-for-like: • Title: Group Payroll Director, UK & Europe. • Mandate: Own integration of acquired UK/European payroll operations; standardise controls, calendars, data, vendor model and reporting; lead any payroll-platform/HCM consolidation. • Must-haves: Multi-country EMEA payroll leadership; acquisition/TSAs or post-merger integration; in-country partner/vendor governance; payroll compliance and controls; executive stakeholder management. • Strongly preferred: Payroll-system implementation or migration experience; shared-services experience; experience reporting into a Group CFO or Finance leadership team. • Deliverable: A shortlist of 5–7 genuinely relevant leaders, with named examples of integrations, countries covered, systems delivered and stakeholder level. Search structure Use a retained, exclusive or tightly managed co-search rather than open contingency. A Group Payroll Director is a confidential, business-critical appointment, and the best candidates are often passive and currently leading an integration or transformation. Portfolio’s own executive-search positioning emphasises discreet access to senior payroll talent beyond standard advertising. [theportfoliogroup](https://www.theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/hire-with-portfolio-payroll/) A practical sequence: 1. Brief Portfolio and Middlemore this week; ask both for a market map within 10 working days. 2. Add Frazer Jones only if the first two cannot demonstrate credible EMEA integration placements. 3. Keep Hays or Robert Half as a fallback for finance-led candidates or interim cover during the integration. 4. Ask each agency for two referees from clients who hired for comparable multi-country payroll transformations—not merely senior UK payroll roles. One caveat Avoid agencies whose specialism is mainly contractor, umbrella, CIS or bureau payroll sales; that market overlaps with payroll but does not reliably produce group-level integration leaders. McKinnon Talent, for example, is a specialist payroll recruiter across in-house, outsourced and bureau environments, but its public positioning is broader and less explicitly executive/transformation-focused than Portfolio or Middlemore. 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